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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29010237">Walls and Sunlight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/trustmeimjoly/pseuds/trustmeimjoly'>trustmeimjoly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A little bit of angst at times, F/M, Fluff, Gally is broody but also cute, I love Frypan and Clint, M/M, Minho is a Little Shit, Newt is a sweetheart, also trigger warning for claustrophobia, but they'll be okay, everyone is a little bit sad, life in the glade, pre-thomas and teresa, the non-con tag is just for a brief scene of attempted rape that will come later in the story, these boys are so young</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:28:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29010237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/trustmeimjoly/pseuds/trustmeimjoly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s a voice echoing in her mind, someone shouting her name, and a few whispered words. She can hear it, the desperation in that shout, the fear in that tone; she knows that the person is shouting her name, but the words themselves elude her. All that remains is the voice, and the horribly frustrating sentiment that she is missing something important.</p><p>Or,<br/>Katherine wakes up in a strange place, with strange people, and without a single memory save for the sound of a voice.<br/>A voice that belongs to one of the people who rescues her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gally (Maze Runner)/Original Female Character(s), Minho/Newt (Maze Runner)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to the new story!</p><p>I have a vague idea of where this is going, to be honest, but I've been sitting on it for a while so I figured I'd just post it and hopefully it'd encourage me to continue!</p><p>I started writing this a few years ago so it feels awkward but eh I'm never fully happy with these so it's fine.</p><p>Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She isn’t exactly sure what wakes her up. It could be the lurching movement that sends her rolling, or that horrible grinding noise she hears. All she knows is that she is surrounded by darkness; impenetrable, thick darkness. There’s a voice echoing in her mind, someone shouting her name, and a few whispered words. She can hear it, the desperation in that shout, the fear in that tone; she knows that the person is shouting her name, but the words themselves elude her. All that remains is the voice, and the horribly frustrating sentiment that she is missing something important. All the other memories that she attempts to grasp seem to retreat from her mind, disappear somewhere she cannot touch them, and the emptiness that comes from their absence is crushing. </p><p>This is the most terrified she’s ever been- not that she would really know, though. The anticipation, the complete ignorance of her situation is what makes her reach out her fingers tentatively into the darkness, her body hugging the cold metallic side of the place she’s in. The wall seems to stretch on forever, and she’d rather not know for sure that she’s trapped, not until the movement has stopped, so she waits. She can still hear that awful grating; loud, painfully so, like something out of a nightmare. It’s unbearable, the wait, dragged out by the slow upward pull of the floor. She feels like she’s been in here for ages, and who knows? Maybe she has. She can’t remember anything that could tell her otherwise.</p><p>Suddenly, everything stumbles to a stop, and she is sent sprawling into a corner. Something heavy falls on her. She’s not sure what it is, she can just feel its cold and hard edge hitting her skull, and she sees stars behind her eyelids. The noise and the movement have both stopped, but she feels dizzy and confused, and she definitely doesn’t want to move. The silence is complete for a few uneasy seconds, until a thin ray of light appears overhead, spreading wider with the squeaking of hinges, before she realizes that it’s some sort of lid over her head that is being opened. The light is much too bright, and yet as she huddles in a corner, she can see black spots dancing in her vision. She may not remember a thing, but she knows that is definitely not good. There are shadows, shapes outlined by the light above her, and loud raucous voices, laughing. Whether at her or at each other she can’t figure out. </p><p>And then suddenly, everything quietens again as someone says: “Shuck. It’s a shucking girl.” </p><p>The voices become indistinct in their shouting, and she can feel the headache coming on stronger as she huddles further into the corner, trying to look for a way out. There is none. The only way is up, and everyone is blocking her path. </p><p>“Alright, slim it, shanks!” The calm and imperious voice echoes in the air, through the box, and everyone quietens.</p><p>She can hear whispers as something heavy, someone, jumps down into the box, rattling it. She sees a tall, dark-haired boy, haloed by light, looking at her strangely as she feebly draws herself to her feet, pressing herself into the corner like a wounded animal.</p><p>The boy is holding out his arms in a peaceful gesture, face wary, slowly making his way towards her, and his image dances through her eyes. </p><p>“Alright, Greenie,” he says in a low voice, and something in her wants to scream. “We won’t hurtcha. Just… calm down and lemme help you out, okay?”</p><p>She tries to speak, but all that exits her throat is a pitiful whimper, and suddenly her body feels weightless. She staggers forward, and the last thing she sees is the boy holding out his arms to catch her before everything goes dark.</p><p>--------  </p><p>	For the second time that day, she painfully pulls her eyes open. This time, though, there is no lurching, no grating. Just dim light and whispered voices, and warmth. Her eyes gradually adjust, and she slightly lifts her head to peer around her. The room she’s in is entirely made of wood, with a wooden chair and table, the somewhat comfortable bed she’s in and a soft beige blanket pulled over her. She slowly sits up, her head swimming for a second before everything settles back into place. </p><p>She still doesn’t know where she is, and although this place is much better than the metal box, she has no way of knowing whether she can trust the people here. She needs to look, assess, and possibly run. All the better done without company. </p><p>There is a window across from her bed, covered with semi-transparent curtains, and she slips the blanket off her and carefully pulls herself to her feet, waiting for dizziness or people to come running. Neither happen. Apparently, the hit to her head wasn’t that bad. And the guards here aren’t that worried; which could either be very good or very bad. </p><p>She makes her way across the room slowly, trying not to make any noise and only barely succeeding. Pulling back the curtains and opening the window, she is met with vibrant green and a small breeze: the window is about 8 feet from the ground, and she is facing a huge prairie. </p><p>Where the hell is she?</p><p>There is no time to figure that out because the door at the other side of the room creaks open and a voice says:</p><p>“I thought you’d be awake! I heard the floorboards, and- hey!”</p><p>The boy has just started speaking when she makes her split-second decision. She can’t stay in this room. So she hauls herself over the windowsill and barely has time to glimpse astonishment and tanned skin with a short afro before she’s dropping to ground outside the hut. The jolt of the landing makes her legs feel shaky but her eyes zero in on the group of trees across the prairie and she takes off sprinting in their direction. It’s very open, and very wide, but she doesn’t see too many people milling around so, surely, if she takes them by surprise, she’ll make it. She pumps her legs faster and takes half a moment to enjoy the speed, her functioning muscles, and the burst of air that greets her cheeks and hair. </p><p>She barely registers the shouts behind her, and the sound of running. She’s out of the box, she’s out of that room, and she has air and freedom. Now all she needs to do is reach the trees, hide, and figure things out with a clear head. </p><p>She passes the tower-like construction in the middle of the prairie, someone at the top shouting “STOP!”, before she hears the tell-tale stomping of someone chasing her and getting closer. She pushes her legs fast, faster, not even daring to look back; she can almost feel the person behind her, and suddenly she is being grabbed at the waist. She stumbles in her momentum, the person definitely heavier than her, and after a second they both hit the ground hard and roll in a tangle.</p><p>He, because it’s clearly a he, still has his arms around her, and he hauls her up with him as she struggles against his hold, a growl of frustration tearing itself out of her throat.</p><p>“Hey! Hey, hey, Greenie!” he says, and she instantly freezes. “Calm down, shank, I’m not here to hurt you.” </p><p>He turns her around to face him, his grip almost painful on her shoulders, as if he’s afraid she’ll bolt again- which, to be honest, she was willing to do a second ago- and she is able to fully look at him. He’s… well, he’s handsome. Strong arms, a broad chest and shoulders, he is about a head taller than she is; he’s got a shock of dark chestnut hair and forest green eyes, freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks, and the expression on his face is puzzled and wary. He’s the boy that came down in the box to get her.</p><p>But his admittedly impressive physique is not what stopped her. It’s his voice. She knows his voice. The deep pitch, like butter melting on toast, contrasting with his knife-sharp tone, the slight catch in his throat when he says you. It’s the voice of the scream, the voice of the whisper. The only voice she remembers. She knows him. Which means that in this new world she knows nothing of, with a self she can remember nothing about- he is the only one she can trust. </p><p>She’s not sure whether what she sees in his eyes is the same recognition she feels, and she has no time to ask because people are gathering around them, all talking at the same time. She doesn’t like that they’re crowding her, staring at her. She feels his grip tighten again, not having realised it had slackened while she was staring at him, and she realizes she was tensing to bolt.</p><p>She forces herself to relax, hesitantly, before asking him her first burning question, ignoring everyone else. “Where am I?”</p><p>He’s about to answer when the same calm voice from earlier speaks up.</p><p>“Back to work, slintheads, I’ve got it from here. Shuck girl isn’t a circus act, you’ll see her at the bonfire. Off with ya’ll!”</p><p>There’s a short moment of stillness before they shuffle off, grumbling, and she’s met with the owner of the voice.</p><p>He’s a tall boy, though shorter than her boy, with dark skin and chocolate eyes and cropped hair, and a severe expression, though there is some lingering warmth in his eyes. </p><p>“You too, shank,” he says, nodding at the boy still holding her shoulders, “I’ll give her the tour, go manage your builders.”</p><p>The boy nods once and reluctantly lets her go, turning back towards the houses. It’s as she watches him leave that she realizes that what she took to be trees in the distance are actually… vines? Growing on… </p><p>She makes a full spin. </p><p>Growing on walls? High walls, that surround the whole area, which is admittedly huge. She looks back at the boy and camps herself firmly on her legs, determined this time to get answers.</p><p>“Where am I?” her voice is as steely as she can make it to mask her uncertainty. </p><p>The boy seems to notice, but he doesn’t comment.</p><p>“Welcome to the Glade, Greenie. I’m Alby, and I’m in charge here. I’m gonna give you the tour first, and then any questions you still have you can ask me. Sound good?”</p><p>She nods resolutely.</p><p>“Alright. Let’s go.” </p><p>He takes off without looking back.</p><p>--------  </p><p>	She pays close attention to Alby as he explains things. The four corners of the Glade, which is this place they’re in, the Homestead, the Fields and the Slaughterhouse, the Deadheads, the different jobs, the Keepers. </p><p>“Everyone’s gotta pull their weight here, or else nothing works.”</p><p>Figures. </p><p>They’re trapped here, so they might as well make something out of it, Alby says. The place is big enough that the sensation of being a prisoner is not overwhelming, but the walls on every point of the horizon seem like taunting reminders that she doesn’t know who she is or how she got here, and has no way of getting out yet. The thoughts whirl in her mind as she follows Alby, but he seems to know it and explain things clearly and concisely. </p><p>“The Creators send us a new Greenie each month, and this time it’s you,” he says as they head towards what he’s said is the kitchen. There’s a strange anticipative pause, as if he was trying to figure out how to say the next thing, until he decides to do it in the bluntest way possible. “You’re the first girl we’ve got in two years.”</p><p>Not the weirdest news she’s received today, surprisingly. Maybe the weirdest news Alby’s received today.</p><p>She looks up calmly at him. “I thought I’d only seen boys on our way around. Is that why they’re all staring at me weird?”</p><p>Alby huffs out what she could call a laugh if she was feeling generous. </p><p>“That and a couple other things. We’ve had a rough week. Shanks are uneasy, and then you show up. Some of ‘em think you’re a bad sign. Most of them are just excited that we finally got a girl.”</p><p>Great. That sounds even more fun than being stuck in a box.</p><p>“What about you?” she asks uncertainly. “Do you think I’m a harbinger of the end or something?”</p><p>“Nah,” he answers. </p><p>He doesn’t explain why, but she hadn’t really expected him to. She finds it reassuring anyways.</p><p>They reach the kitchen before she can ask more about the opening in the wall.</p><p>“Fry!” Alby calls through the door. “I need a glass of water for the Greenie please, shank.”</p><p>There’s shuffling inside and an annoyed ‘More pepper, Tony!’ before the aforementioned Fry steps out with a glass of water. He’s taller than Alby, with dark skin and a friendly smile. </p><p>“I’m Frypan, Greenie,” he says by way of greeting. “You scared us pretty bad with your act earlier. Clint says you hit your head on a shovel.” </p><p>“Sorry. Nice to meet you,” she answers, smiling back. “I’m… I’m-” she trails off as she realizes she still doesn’t know her name, and tries to push down a flare of fear.</p><p>Frypan is gentle, his voice steady and soothing.</p><p>“Well you’ll be Greenie for another month, so you’ve got time to figure that out. No one remembers their name the first few hours anyways, so don’t worry too much,” Frypan says before nodding at her and at Alby. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some food to prepare for the bonfire tonight. All for you, Greenie!”</p><p>She laughs quietly as Alby shakes his head.</p><p>“Come on Greenbean, last stop.” </p><p>She leaves her empty glass on a table and follows as he heads towards, thank god, the opening in the wall. As he talks about the four doors and the Runners and the Maze, she can’t help but be captivated by the sheer immensity of the stone. No wonder they’ve been looking for a way out for years. Everything is huge. The opening in the wall lets through an unsettling breeze, and the corridor seems to oscillate slightly in the strange light. It’s like it’s drawing her in.</p><p>Alby seems to guess her thoughts, because she can hear the frown in his voice when he says: </p><p>“Number one rule, Greenie. No going into the Maze unless you’re a runner.”</p><p>She nods, and as if on cue two boys come barrelling through the hallway and out of the Doors. She sidesteps and watches them slow, one of them stopping to put his hands on his knees, panting. The other collapses to lie on the ground. </p><p>The one still standing is Asian looking, with beautiful dark eyes and spiky hair and impressive thighs and arms and he is dripping with sweat. </p><p>“Hey Alby,” he breathes out. “Come to introduce the new Greenie?” Then his eyes land properly on her and his mouth falls open. “Wha-”</p><p>“Meet the new Greenie, Minho,” Alby says with a laugh.</p><p>Good to know he finds that funny.</p><p>“What the klunk is this?” says the boy on the ground. He’s sitting up now, long limbs folded, brown hair damp with sweat and brown eyes baffled. </p><p>She raises her eyebrows in annoyance. “My name is Katherine,” she snaps before thinking. “And yes, I’m a girl. Huzzah.”</p><p>There’s a moment of silence before it hits her, and she turns to Alby with a dazzling smile at her new discovery. A name. She finally has a name.</p><p>“Well, you’ll be Greenie for another month,” the brown-eyed one says as he stands. “I’m Dan.”</p><p>Minho has stopped gaping, and smirks at her, nodding appreciatively. “I like you, Greenie. Maybe we can keep you,” he says before turning to Alby. “How’s Newt?”</p><p>Alby sighs worriedly. “He’s holding up, shank. Still asleep.”</p><p>Minho nods solemnly, then shakes his head and grins. “Come on, Dan, we’ve got some maps to make.”</p><p>He winks at her before jogging off with Dan towards a concrete building near the Slaughterhouse. Katherine turns to Alby with a proud smile, but before she can say anything, a terrifyingly loud rumble echoes through the Glade, and the Doors start grating to a close. She stares warily at the giant moving slabs until they shut, frozen. Alby pats her shoulder.</p><p>“You’ll get used to it,” he says. “That’s why you don’t go in there unless you’re Runner. If you get stuck, it’s for the night, and no one’s ever survived a night in the Maze.” He waits as she nods solemnly, then gives her a slight upturn of his lips. “Now come on, Greenie. One last thing.”</p><p>He leads her closer to the wall, where names are carved into the concrete, and hands her a knife.</p><p>“You’re one of us now,” he tells her with something like finality.</p><p>She spots his name near the top, and Minho and Dan on the left. The name Nick has a bar through it.</p><p>“What about the crossed-out names?” she can’t help but ask.</p><p>His expression is closed. “They’re dead,” he says bluntly.</p><p>She breathes out carefully, starts carving a K into the stone.</p><p>“So my name will be the first girl’s, then,” she says for lack of anything better.</p><p>“Yeah. We’ll have to see what that means, because obviously arrangements have to be made. In the meantime, we’ll make room for you like we do for any other Greenie. They’re decent shanks, these ones. You don’t need to worry about them.”</p><p>She nods thoughtfully as the knife slices through the wall, keeping silent. Alby is a decent ‘shank’. He seems to fill the leader position just right.</p><p>In a few more moments, the name Kathy is set into the wall. </p><p>“Too lazy to write it all?” Alby laughs as she hands him back the knife.</p><p>She raises unimpressed eyebrows at him. “You’d be too if your name had nine letters.”</p><p>Alby shakes his head with a smile. “Come on, She-Bean. Tonight we’re partying in your honor.”</p><p> --------  </p><p>       The bonfire is quite agreeable. Katherine’s had about 15 boys introducing themselves to her, and she only remembers aorund 5 of them. Overall, they’re nice. Enthusiastic, but nice. It helps to settle down in front of a nice fire while they dance and laugh. They seem to form a somewhat functional and fun family. One that maybe, hopefully, she can fit into. </p><p>One girl. Thirty boys. Katherine sighs and bites into a juicy piece of meat Frypan has given her. She likes him, she thinks. There are no falsehoods or uncertainties in him, and he doesn’t make a big deal out of her being a girl. The others will come around, surely. Some of them seem to already have.</p><p>She starts when a body slumps down on the stump next to her. The green-eyed boy from earlier is grinning at her, something light in his eyes.</p><p>“Hey Greenie. I’m Gally.” </p><p>An electric feeling goes up her spine as he speaks. She hazily wonders if it will always be like that, to recognize him so instantly and yet not know why.</p><p>She holds out her hand. “Katherine,” she answers with a smile. “You’re the Keeper of the… Builders?”</p><p>His grip is warm, calloused. Secure. He nods, still grinning. Figures.</p><p>“You feelin’ better?” She can see the laughter in his eyes, something uncertain behind it.</p><p>She rolls her eyes, drawling, “Yeah, rolling to the ground didn’t make the head worse., just gave me new bruises. Thanks for your consideration.”</p><p>He laughs, genuine and sharp, and her heart jumps. “I like you, Greenie,” he tells her, bumping her shoulder with his. “I think we should keep you.”</p><p>She can feel a smile creep up her cheeks. “You’re the first to ensure my safe stay here. You have my eternal thanks.”</p><p>Another body drops down on her side, and she looks up to see the Runner, Minho, cradling a jar of some strange liquid with a mischievous smile.</p><p>“Better go out there, Gal, they’re callin’ your name.” He tells Gally, who stands up, smirking down at her.</p><p>“Can’t ignore the people’s call. I’ll see you later, Greenie!” he gives her one last look before striding off towards the other side of the bonfire, where a couple of boys have formed a circle. They cheer when he arrives. It makes Katherine smile.</p><p>“What’s that?” she questions Minho, pointing to the liquid in the jar.</p><p>He grins like a Cheshire cat before taking a swig. “Gally’s drink. Secret recipe, you know. Some real good stuff, pretty sure there’s alcohol in it. Want a try?”</p><p>She grimaces. “Not thanks, maybe next time.” He shrugs and takes another drink. “So how long you been here?” she asks, curious.</p><p>He hums, thoughtful, “Near two years. Next Greenie’s coming up on my Box day.”</p><p>“And you’re the Keeper of the Runners? Alby told me.”</p><p>“Yup. You planning to try out? I hear you’ve got a nice pair of legs on ya.”</p><p>She shrugs. “Maybe. I guess we’ll see.”</p><p>He looks at her, thoughtful, before downing the rest of his drink, then back to the bonfire, towards the circle around Gally and the boy wrestling him. The dancing flames make the two boys’ skins shine, shadows playing off their figures and the sand. Gally is concentrated, but there is a smirk firmly fixed on his face. He knows he’s going to win, and so does everyone else. His muscles are tense, his posture strong, and he sidesteps the boy’s jab with smooth, near-feline agility. He grabs the boy by the shoulder, twists, and in a moment the boy is on the ground. Everyone cheers, and Gally pulls the boy back up. It looks like a tradition, Katherine thinks. Gally doesn’t lose his fights.</p><p>She looks down at her hands, at the tan skin pulled over the smooth muscles of her forearms. Maybe she could win a fight. She feels strong enough to run, to carry heavy things. Fighting shouldn’t be too hard. Maybe not against Gally, though.</p><p>She looks up when Dan settles down next to her and hands her a lambchop. </p><p>“Thought you could use some meat on you if you’re gonna be a Runner,” he says.</p><p>Minho jeers him playfully. “She’s gotta try out first!”</p><p>“Yeah, but from what I hear only Gally caught up to her, and he’s the fastest non-runner!”</p><p>Katherine smiles as they push at each other over her shoulders, and a thought strikes her.</p><p>“Guys. What do I look like?”</p><p>They both laugh, and she straightens up in righteous indignation. “It’s a valid question!” she points to Minho and Dan in turn. “I know what you look like, with your hair and your jaw, and what you look like, with your eyes and that mole on your cheekbone, but I have no idea what I look like! I can’t remember.”</p><p>“I know, I know,” says Dan soothingly, though he’s still chuckling. “Everyone asks that question at some point, but usually they ask whether they’re hot or not.”</p><p>“Not all of them,” Minho continues with a roguish smile. “For example, I knew that I was hot, I just needed people to tell me what kind of hot I was.”</p><p>Katherine lets out a snort, although she can’t claim him wrong, and Dan shoves him with a ‘slinthead’.</p><p>“I mean I guess you’re hot too, Greenie,” Minho finally concedes. “Just not as much as me. You’ve got a nice tan skin long black curls thing going on.”</p><p>“And your eyes are like… coffee color,” Dan adds.</p><p>“Yeah, like, extra-dark coffee. I can’t see your pupils.”</p><p>Katherine rolls her eyes, but she can feel her face heat. “Thanks. That helps, I guess.”</p><p>Dan playfully squeezes her shoulder. “You’ll get used to it.”</p><p>Probably, she thinks as the two boys jabber at her playfully and the bonfire leaps higher. Hopefully.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Katherine slowly settles into the routine life in the Glade, and hopes desperately that nothing goes wrong. Of course, some things have to.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katherine runs out of the West Doors and collapses next to Dan on the grass as the walls start rumbling to a close.</p><p>“Too close this time,” she tells him in between heavy breaths.</p><p>Dan lets out a short laugh. “Get used to it, Greenie, it’ll happen more than once.”</p><p>He grins as she scowls up at him. “Come on, klunk-head, we got maps to make.”</p><p>“Ugh, I was hoping you’d forgotten,” she groans. “And my name’s Katherine, shuckface.”</p><p>He laughs again. “I’m still calling you Greenie.”</p><p>Katherine sighs and follows him to the Map Room.</p><p>----</p><p>It had only taken about four days for her to become a Runner.</p><p>Although she had been acceptably good a track-hoe and a builder, and grudgingly impressive as a medjack, far too many remembered her first-day sprint and her stamina to not press Alby and Minho to make her a Runner.</p><p>The try-out was a blessing. She’d gotten out of the Glade, even for half a day, run to her heart’s content under Minho’s careful but lashing criticism, and she was so tired in the evening that she was as calm as a quiet sea instead of her usual restless self.</p><p>They needed a Runner, anyways. Newt had hurt his leg in the week before she had arrived, and he was resting with a possibility that he wouldn’t be able to run again. There was a spot just waiting to be filled, under Minho’s critical and strangely sad eye.</p><p>So she ran with Dan on most days, and with Minho on Dan’s days off. The three of them had quickly become friends, as she was always keen to take part in their antics.</p><p>In the end, it hadn’t taken the boys too long to get used to her. Though they had been uneasy and overly curious at first, she had started to fit in just right, with her sharp tongue and sharper gaze. She was resolute not to take klunk from anyone. They didn’t have a choice but to accept her, anyways. She was here to stay.</p><p>----</p><p>Katherine slides onto the bench next to Gally, Dan squeezing in after her, both carrying plates loaded by Frypan. Near three weeks of running had sharpened her appetite.</p><p>Gally smirks at her as she starts shovelling food into her mouth. “Long day, Greenie?”</p><p>Gally, though they’d gotten closer in her time here, was still a bit of an enigma. She was curious about him, with the searching looks he gave her and his voice that, now still, was the one thing anchoring her to her past self. The electricity that made her shiver when he spoke hadn’t gone, just quietened as she got used to his warm tone and sharp wit. They understood each other, weirdly, and they seemed to gravitate around each other in a strange dance.</p><p>“You bet,” she grimaces at him. “Dan got us back barely in time. Stupid shuck wanted the thrill.”</p><p>Dan makes an indignant sound around his mouthful of food, while Alby, sitting across from her next to Adam, laughs. “You accepted this job, Greenie, not our fault you got stuck with Dan as a running partner.”</p><p>Dan clears his throat, swallowing. “First off, I’m right here you dumb shanks. Secondly, and I’m sure both Minho and Newt can testify, there’s no better running partner than me.”</p><p>Gally scoffs good-naturedly and Katherine perks up. “Speaking of Minho, where is he? He left the Map Room before Dan and I got there.”</p><p>“He’s eating with Newt,” Alby answers with a smile. “Told us to make sure you didn’t miss him too much.”</p><p>The boys laugh as Katherine scowls. “I’ll go tell prissy Minnie how much I don’t miss him,” she says as she scrapes her plate clean. “I wanted to see Newt anyways.”</p><p>“Sure thing, Greenie,” Gally answers with a smirk. “You do that, we’ll stake bets on how much you’d pout if you didn’t see him for a day.”</p><p>She huffs at them, standing to put her plate in the kitchen sink, and exits the mess hall with one last eye-roll at her rowdy boys. She hates these shanks. Well, no, she loves them really, but she wouldn’t tell them. They’re only decent most of the time.</p><p>She enters the medjack hut, which had stopped being an unpleasant place when she really met Clint and they hit it off immediately, and greets him with a smile as he packs some wrappings in a case.</p><p>“Good evening venerable doctor!” she says as she bumps his shoulder in passing.</p><p>He laughs and points her to Newt’s room. “Get thee gone, fiend, before you mess up my system!”</p><p>She chuckles and heads over to the aforementioned door.</p><p>“Come in, Greenie!” Newt’s voice sounds through before she even knocks, and she opens the door to find Minho sitting with his feet propped up on Newt’s bed, both wearing amused expressions.</p><p>Minho spent most of his free time in Newt’s room and on that point, Katherine could completely understand him. Newt was a delight. He and Katherine had reached mutual understanding almost as soon as they met, and spent much time talking about anything and everything, ganging up on Minho from time to time for the fun of it. He was on the mend, gaining more color every day and leaving behind some of that sadness and anger she’d seen in his eyes the first few days. Though he sometimes grumbled and sulked about being stuck in the medjack hut, he was good-natured and clearly loved by most. He had left his second-in-command duties to Gally, though the latter often jokingly complained that he’d rather have stayed third because his builders needed more wrangling than cats.</p><p>“How’d you know it was me?” she complains playfully before smiling at the blond boy in the bed. “Hey, Newt. Hey Min.”</p><p>Minho and Newt smile back at her words, the former speaking up loudly. “Knew you’d miss me, Greenie.”</p><p>“I didn’t miss you, stupid shank, I just wanted to make sure Newt didn’t die of boredom. You don’t realize how much your voice can cause headaches at times.”</p><p>Newt laughed, and Katherine glowed. It made her happy to see him getting better.</p><p>“Anyways, just wanted to bring you an apple and make sure you had all your dinner, cuz I know Minho is such a distracted shank that he’d probably forget his brain on his bedroom floor if I wasn’t there every morning. Don’t know how you managed him before I was even here.” She sends a triumphant smirk to Minho as he protests noisily, and adds, “Alright shanks, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll see you tomorrow, Newt; Clint said I could help around.”</p><p>Minho groans. “Aww it’s your day off already, lucky Greenie. Make sure you don’t go soft, or we won’t be able to make you run.”</p><p>She sticks her tongue out at him, then smiles at them before throwing a “Night!” and closing the door.</p><p>----</p><p>Alby had originally proposed that Katherine take Newt’s room while he was in the medjack hut, but after sleeping inside for less than a week she had refused and moved her hammock outside. She had found a nice space in some trees between the fields and the Homestead, and installed her base there, leaving her clothes in drawers in Dan’s room.</p><p>It was peaceful, and quiet compared to the Homestead which creaked and echoed with the boys’ voices and snores. She was alone here, sometimes joined by Dan or Gally, who took to sleeping outside, further into the trees.</p><p>As she lies in her hammock, swinging slowly, she lets the sound of the crickets in the field soothe her in somnolence. She stares at the dome of the sky above, which is an unnatural blue-grey, with no moon. There is never any moon. There is a sun, or some kind of it, but no moon, and the only stars to be found at night are static. She draws what comfort she can from them, even though she can’t for the life of her find any of the constellations she knows she should have. That’s almost the most unsettling part of being stuck here. Everything looks like it could be normal, but not quite. Like it’s so close to being the way it should be, but something has stopped it in its tracks. The fact that there are no real seasons, that the temperature is pretty much constant, that it only ever rains once every two weeks.</p><p>But there’s no use really thinking about it. She knows this is messed up. Everyone does. All they can do is pretend it’s okay, and make something out of it. And get out of here. Or try, at least. Try desperately.</p><p>She falls asleep with the sound of a Griever shrieking far away.</p><p>----</p><p>There is barely any light when she wakes up the next morning. So much for sleeping in; it seems habits come in fast. She bids good luck to Adam as he heads to the South doors with Jack, his running partner, and walks Minho and Dan to the North doors.</p><p>“Be safe, shanks,” she tells them with a grin. “Who knows what sort of trouble you’ll get yourselves into without me.”</p><p>They both wear identical smirks as Minho answers: “Don’t worry, I’ll get back as alive and as handsome as always. Have fun being a doctor!”</p><p>And with a wave from Katherine, they’re off. She’s still staring thoughtfully at the Maze corridor when Gally comes up behind her.</p><p>“Hey, She-bean.”</p><p>“Hey, Gal.”</p><p>They stand in comfortable silence for a moment, the breeze pulling strands of hair into Katherine’s face.</p><p>She turns to Gally, about to ask what he is doing here, and as if he was reading her mind, he says: “Clint needs help with Joe. Slinthead slipped and got a nasty splinter in his hand and won’t sit still for Clint to take it out.”</p><p>“And you can’t help? He’s your builder.” Katherine challenges with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>Gally smirks, shaking his head slightly. “Nope, I’m leaving him in your professional hands. Gotta get ‘my builders’ going, bunch of lazy shanks. We’re finishing the rest of the shower doors today.”</p><p>“Oh great! I need those.” She smiles brightly at him. “Thanks, Gal. I’ll see you later.”</p><p>“You don’t need to run on your day off,” he jokes as she turns to go towards the medjack hut.</p><p>“It’s fun if it’s not work!” She calls back before jogging off.</p><p>----</p><p>Joe being dealt with, Katherine leaves Clint to bandage up Winston’s finger and quietly heads to Newt’s room to sort out medical supplies.</p><p>Normally, she needs to run, to do something physical to calm her restlessness, but being a medjack is calming to her in itself. When boys aren’t coming in wailing about blood and dehydration, she can rummage around and focus on small tasks that require enough concentration that she doesn’t drift off.</p><p>Newt is sleeping, the covers shuffled around him, oblivious to the fact that Katherine has set herself the task of finishing a complete inventory of medical supplies that she started last week. Rummaging through disinfectants, she sings quietly to herself, a song that has been in her head for a few days. She has no idea where it’s from, but it’s a soothing melody, almost sad, fitting for the situation she finds herself in. She wants to believe that her parents, if she had any, sang it to her as a child; it makes things more painful and more bearable at the same time.</p><p>
  <em>Ay, de mí, Llorona… Llorona de azul celeste. </em>
</p><p>Newt stirs in his bed, and she falters, turning back to see him sleepily crack an eye open. “</p><p>Greenie?” he croaks, his voice still husky from sleep. “</p><p>Hey, Newtie,” she whispers with a soft smile. “Sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep, I’ll be quiet.”</p><p>He hums. “No, keep singing. ‘S nice.”</p><p>"Okay,” she chuckles. “Rest, though. You need it.”</p><p>He closes his eyes again and she turns back to the box of bandages.</p><p>The rest of the afternoon flies by: she fills in the inventory paper with a few corrections, chats with Clint as he patches up Tony, Frypan’s help, who comes three times in two hours with different cuts on each finger. She considers telling Fry the boy shouldn’t be handling knives.</p><p>When the light starts to dim, she heads towards the North wall to wait for Minho and Dan. They arrive a few minutes before the doors close, both sweaty and dirty, though Minho’s perfectly gelled hair still stands, and greet her in the usual manner:</p><p>“Well if it isn’t my least favourite Greenie of the month!” She grins.</p><p>These idiots are definitely her idiots.</p><p>----</p><p>She takes her usual place across from Gally at dinner.</p><p>“Hey, Greenie,” he smirks. “Where are Minho and Dan?”</p><p>“Minho’s with Newt again, and Dan said not to wait for him, he wanted to go over some maps. Where’s Alby?” She asks before shoving a spoonful of rice in her mouth.</p><p>“Talking to Clint I think.”</p><p>She nods. “How was your day? None of your builders came in so I assume it can’t have been that bad.”</p><p>Gally lets out an amused huff. “They were alright. We finished the shower doors this morning. You can now bathe in peace.”</p><p>“My saviour! I am forever indebted to you.”</p><p>“You better be. They’re decorative and everything.”</p><p>She looks at him in surprise. “You carved the swirls in the corners?”</p><p>Gally shrugs. “I was bored, and it only took about five minutes,” is his only justification.</p><p>The grin that spreads to her cheekbones could light up the Homestead, and Gally has to look away from her for a bit, pretending to watch Peter and James throw food at each other. She’s so bright. He nods his chin at her, eyebrows raised, and she safely packs away the memory of his pleased little smile before answering his unspoken question.</p><p>“Not a very eventful day. I made an inventory of a good portion of the stuff in the medjack hut. Clint says I’m overdoing it, but boy is he messy. He claims he knows where everything is, but that’s useless if I come in and can’t even find the antiseptics.”</p><p>Gally smirks as she finishes off with a huff. “You’re just offended he calls you a neat freak.”</p><p>“You know, I thought I couldn’t be called anything more annoying than Greenie,” she scowls. “I was wrong.”</p><p>Gally bursts out laughing. “Chin up,” he drawls, “everyone goes through it. ‘Sides, you’ve only got two more weeks to bear. And you’re adjusting so well it’ll fly you by.”</p><p>Katherine’s face turns cautious. “You think I’m adjusting well?”</p><p>There’s a short pause as Gally sobers up and looks at her openly. “Yeah.” His voice is surprisingly soft, barely guarded. “Better than a lot of us did at first. And everyone is used to you now. I… think we’re all glad to have you. We’re a bit better for it.”</p><p>She looks down to fiddle with her fork, unsure if she can bear the genuine something in his eyes. “Thanks, Gal.” She pauses for a moment, but he can tell there’s something on the edge of her heart, and he stays quiet, looking at her. “I don’t remember my family. But if I did… I’d like it to be like you guys. Like this.”</p><p>She looks up at him again, her eyes bright and honest, and he has to smile. Then he scoffs, not ready to get deeper into it all.</p><p>“Don’t tell any of them that, Greenie, it’ll get to their heads,” he tells her with a smirk.</p><p>He knows he’s dodging, and by the twinkle in her eyes, she knows it as well, but he doesn’t care. He said what he wanted to, and she understood him.</p><p>----</p><p>The following days pass by in a blur as Katherine settles more comfortably into her routine. Run with Dan, laugh with Dan, eat, occasionally argue with Minho, visit Newt, make up with Minho, sleep, bother Gally, smile at Gally, help out Clint, sit with Fry, visit Newt some more, don’t think about the fact that they’re trapped… It’s pleasant, for all it is.</p><p>After three weeks in the medjack hut, Newt is finally out and about; on crutches and with a cast, but happier and out of bed, his snark doubled as if to make up for his shucked leg. But nothing else changes much. Not even Dan’s obnoxious voice.</p><p>“Wake up, Greenie, rise and shine, time to go run some maze!”</p><p>Katherine grumbles as he shakes her hammock. “I’m awake, klunk-head, no need to shout.”</p><p>“Get up then! We gotta go. Maze ain’t gonna map itself, shuckface.”</p><p>She cracks her eyelids open only to roll her eyes at him as he looms gleefully over her. “Dan, we have at least twenty minutes before the doors even open.”</p><p>“And taking into account how long it takes your lazy ass to get ready, I thought I’d plan ahead.”</p><p>“My ass isn’t lazy, shuckface!”</p><p>“Then get out of bed, shuckface,” he mocks, turning back to head towards the kitchen for breakfast.</p><p> </p><p>She squeezes in between Minho and Dan at the breakfast table after her shower, ignoring their half-hearted protests, and grins at Newt and Gally who sit across her. Despite the fact that they’re not runners, the both of them are almost constantly up before everyone else, taking care to walk (or hobble, in Newt’s case) with them to the doors. It’s sweet.</p><p> They finish breakfast quickly and say their goodbyes to Newt and Minho who head to join Jack at the North door, while Gally walks Dan and Katherine to the East one. They arrive just as the doors open.</p><p>“Have fun, shanks,” Gally smirks.</p><p>“Not without you!” Katherine quips with a last wave, before she follows Dan into the maze.</p><p>The feeling is immediate: the air on her face, the speed, the pounding of her feet on the ground. She can see the light growing at the top of the walls and splashing onto the vines, see Dan a couple of steps ahead and hear his heavy breaths, watch his muscles move as he runs. It’s an intoxicating sensation, and for a while, she loses track of time, the only feeling one of freedom, even if for just a moment.</p><p>It's a little before noon when things start to go wrong. Turning a corner, Dan skids to a stop, facing a wall. Katherine almost crashes into him.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” she asks. “</p><p>This is weird,” he answers, puzzled. “I think the wall must have stayed closed for some reason. It’s not supposed to be here today.”</p><p>“Are you sure you didn’t just take a wrong turn?”</p><p>Dan rolls his eyes. “Greenie, I’ve been mapping this maze for eight months, and yeah it changes, but there’s still a pattern. This isn’t part of the pattern.”</p><p>He pushes onto the wall, and suddenly there’s an ear-splitting rumbling sound, too close to them to be normal, and Katherine turns around to see the left wall pivoting towards them. Before she and Dan can react, they’re stuck in a small patch between walls, pushed together and barely able to extend their arms. Trapped. The walls are so high, and the light is considerably dimmer, and Katherine feels a wave of panic flaring up from her gut. Overwhelming fear washes over her, and suddenly it feels like her body shuts down. She’s barely aware of Dan next to her; all she can hear is white noise and her breathing quickens; she’s trapped and she can’t move, and she’s trapped and <em>trapped</em> and stuck.</p><p>“…eenie. Greenie. Katherine!” Her vision snaps to Dan, who is shaking her by the arms, though she can only feel the air around her tightening like a vice.</p><p>“Katherine! Kitty! Look at me, look at my face, don’t look around. Kitty, look at me.”</p><p>Her eyes close in on his, staring intently. He’s holding her face in his palms.</p><p>“Good, keep looking at me, Greenie, look at me. Calm down.”</p><p>She can’t. “</p><p>Can you hear me?”</p><p>She nods, painfully.</p><p>“Good, okay now try breathing with me. Slowly, in, out.”</p><p>She can’t breathe, she’s trapped and there's no way out.</p><p>“We’ll be okay, Greenie, we’ll get out of here.”</p><p>She can’t breathe.</p><p>“Kitty, look at me.”</p><p>
  <em>Can’t breathe. </em>
</p><p>“Breathe, Kitty, you’re gonna be okay.”</p><p>Katherine takes in a huge gulp of air, desperately trying to calm down.</p><p>“I’m right here, Greenie. We’re gonna get out of here.”</p><p>And as if his words were magic, there’s another rumbling, and the walls slowly pivot back into place. Katherine slumps down, desperately taking in deep breaths, and Dan heaves a sigh, his hands trembling. She reaches for his hand and grips it, tight. Slowly, her breathing regulates itself, though the air still feels almost thin.</p><p>He’s looking at her as she sits up a few moments later, and she notices his face is slightly pale, slowly regaining color. “You okay, Greenie?”</p><p>She hesitates before answering, voice slightly strained. “Yeah. Thanks. I… sorry, Danny.”</p><p>He smiles at her, “Don’t worry about it, I’m guessing you don’t like the crushing walls and small spaces. It’s not your fault. You didn’t know, did you?”</p><p>“No.” She shakes her head, frowning. “I had no idea. Stupid empty brain.”</p><p>Dan laughs. “Well, we might as well stop to eat now. It’s noon anyways.”</p><p>“Can we move, though? Please.”</p><p>“Sure. C’mere, Green-bean.”</p><p>He pulls her up but instead of letting go, he brings her to him, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame. She barely hesitates to hug him back tightly. He’s so much taller than her that her face is buried in his chest, and she notices he’s stopped shaking.</p><p>“Thanks, Dan,” she mumbles into his shirt.</p><p>His chest rumbles with laughter. “No problem, Greenie. I like you; I couldn’t leave you to die.”</p><p>She hits him half-heartedly, then follows as he drags her away.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed ~</p><p>As always, comments and kudos are appreciated, even if it's just to scream at me!</p><p>Stay safe and healthy! Have a good week ~</p>
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